Sophie Dunnet

Running Achievements

Well this won’t take long. In short I am a much more accomplished coach than I am an athlete but my running achievements have allowed me to coach from a technical and experiential perspective as opposed to just being able to read the latest articles / blogs / research. I have competed over a wide range of distances and love the structure of a 10k as much as I thrive on the uniqueness of off road or multi-day events. My biggest achievement was as a member of the winning National Cross Country team as a junior.

My worst race was a marathon but boy did I learn loads which I will gladly share with anyone taking on this event. I have coached an athlete to a 2.25.00 marathon which proves that you don’t always have to be able to do it yourself to coach it. I returned to training to compete in 2017 following a wonderful 24/7 commitment to two of my athletes over a number of years and am now chasing the biggest variety of endurance racing experiences from 5k to ultra to Hyrox. I say all of this to emphasis my mantra to running, ‘Believe in the Process’. As a coach and athlete, I am in a wonderful position of living by my beliefs and testing out theoretical hypothesis in real time. I can draw parallels between coaching theories and application and have a real insight into the highs and lows of endurance running. I am on the same journey as my athletes in fine tuning the process to get the best performances.

To see my running journey, check out my Power of Ten profile.

Coaching History

I started coaching in a junior track and cross country club in 1987 when I returned home to the North of Scotland from University. I did not set out to coach at the level that I currently do but I developed as a coach, as my athletes developed.

Along the way two things were fundamental to my ability to nurture and support my athletes; one was my continual knowledge development through the various coaching qualifications I have undertaken and second was the mentoring I was provided with from some of the best coaches and team managers in Scotland and the UK who have informed my beliefs.

As part of that cycle of development, I was Head Coach of my local club for 15 years. I am as comfortable supporting club level athletes working towards personal best times as I am my GB athletes focused on performance on the international stage, and can adapt my style and technical coaching delivery to suit each. I travel with athletes around the world, and have team managed for Scottish Athletics which took me all over Britain with the International teams. More recently, I have undertaken additional qualifications to continue to support athletes in areas that can enhance performances outside of running.

Qualifications / Awards

• Level 3 Performance Endurance Coach, UKA (2016)
• British Athletics Safeguarding in Athletics (2026)
• UESCA Certified Ultrarunning Coach (2022)
• First Aid at Work (2023)
• Fitness Training Scotland Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing (2023)
• EIQ Certified Nutrition Coach (2024)
• Sports Scotland Highlands and Islands Performance Coach of the Year 2013
• Nominated Sports Scotland Performance Coach of the Year 2013
• Nominated Performance Coach of the Year, Scottish Athletics 2015, 2016 & 2019
• Awarded British Empire Medal, New Years Honours 2022